The Campground is Hopping Now!

Posted on July 19, 2012 by Tamra

The campground is in full swing now!

It’s hard to believe we’ve already had our Chinese New Year, Pirate Weekend and celebrated Christmas in July.

I’ve met so many wonderful families already . . . and welcomed back our regulars.  I love watching the kids come together in groups and hang out as if the last year had passed in the blink of an eye.  I’m always amazed by how much they grow!    Just this past week, I took a reservation from a young man who’d camped with us as a kid and was now looking forward to sharing our campground with his own children.  Second generation campers!

At the moment, we’re gearing up for Super Hero Weekend.  I’m going to dress as Storm this year. I want to take credit for the fabulous weather we’ve been having!  Of course, if it rains at all this weekend, I’ll be in big trouble.

I haven’t been able to get to the lake since my last post.  My campers tell me  the eaglets are leaving the nest now.  They come back to holler for food, but Mom and are ignoring them, forcing those triplets to feed themselves.

The loon family is still doing well too.  I did hear a report on how an adult eagle swooped low over them a few times, one day last week. Mom and Dad managed to scare it off, thank goodness!  The poor loon family has been through so much this season.  I’d be horribly upset if they lost this baby.

My nature photos are a little closer to the house and office these days.  I have a Spring Peeper (frog) who likes to crawl  up the siding, past my doorbell, to feast on the bugs buzzing my porch light. He’s so cute, I look for him every night after closing the office.

As for my writing, I’m still pecking away at Lillie’s story.  Oh! And I received a bit of inspiration I’ll be adding to the third companion book in my campground series.  I’ve had some excellent feedback from editors about the first book and I’m hopeful . . . fingers are crossed.

Time for me to go write my weekly campground blog post.  Have a wonderful weekend!

 

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Loon and Eagle Baby Update

Posted on July 3, 2012 by Tamra

When all is calm and running smoothly on the campground-home front, Monday’s are our day off.  I hadn’t planned to take this one . . . normally we start taking them after the Fourth of July has come and gone.  But I woke this morning in a lost and befuddled mood.  The power walk didn’t help.  Nor did the leisurely cup of coffee at my own kitchen counter (instead of the office counter).

My wonderful hubby said, “Take some time to yourself.”

After doing a couple of time sensitive office chores, I did just that.

Any of my regular blog followers know exactly what I did first, don’t you?

My first stop was to see the Triplets . . .

All I got was a really good shot of Triplet butt!  So I continued on my way, slowly paddling along the shoreline . . . relishing in the fact that I didn’t have to be back at any particular time.  The day was mine.

I was checking out what looked like a piece of dock,  run aground on land I knew didn’t belong to a homeowner, when I heard the familiar haunting call of the loons.

 

Just off the State Park Beach was the mother loon and her little one.  Only, he doesn’t look so little anymore, does he?

Her call wasn’t panicked.  It was more flustered.  I wasn’t sure if it was because of the swimmers behind her, or tandem kayak moving toward her.

Then I saw the adult do something I’d never seen before . . .

She tucked the baby’s head under her wing. From a distance, you would have thought there was only one loon.

I sat very still and watched for quite a while.

Not only is the baby putting his head in the water too look for food, he’s diving seconds at a time.  He’s not under anywhere near as long as his parents, nor does he stray very far.  I  didn’t see him come up with any fish either.  But he’s trying.

I headed back for home, and stopped once more at the eagle nest.

Sheesh, those babies are getting big!  They were still hollering for the adults though.   A camper I spoke with said he hadn’t seen an adult since he arrived yesterday.  I wonder if the parents are trying to get the young ones to fend for themselves a bit.

As I focused my camera, I heard a huffing kind of sound in the water next to me.

I slowly moved my camera in that direction . ..

and there was the other adult loon.  He barely surfaced.  Again, I’m not sure it it was his nearness to me, or if he knew he’d surfaced under three hungry eaglets.  He stayed semi-submerged like a submarine for a minute or two, before he silently dove.

And I took that as a hint from writing Gods on how they’d prefer I spent my free afternoon.

Writing.

Chapter 1 of Lillie’s story is complete.  On to Chapter 2!

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Kayaking with Alex

Posted on June 25, 2012 by Tamra

 

My daughter’s home for a visit! We went for a power walk, we talked about theater and writing and everything we’d been up to, we bought an ice cream cake for Ben’s 15th birthday . . .

and we kayaked.

The lake was glorious today!  Lots of sun mixed with a cool breeze.  I was looking for the loon family, as several people told me they’d seen the baby Friday and Saturday.

Sadly, we didn’t find them.

I knew exactly where to find the triplets though!

We only saw two at first . .. and I was as worried as a mother hen.

It turns out though, that as big as they’ve gotten, they’re not too big to hide down low in the nest.  After a few minutes, the third one popped up.

There they are!  Three again. Safe and sound.

 

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Time to Change Hats!

Posted on June 21, 2012 by Tamra

Whew!

Those last two weeks of school were crazy!  I’m not sure who was more ready to hear the bell ring at 11am on Tuesday, the students or I. We had so much fun with our end-of-the year activities though . . . I wouldn’t have missed one single second of it. I hope they have a fabulous summer.

Watching the eighth graders walk out the middle school door one last time brought tears to my eyes. Of course, I have a special bond with that class.  My own son is now moving on to 9th grade.

He’s already begun summer soccer and a conditioning class with the high schoolers, without even a backward glance!

Now I’m concentrating on all things campground.  Our every-day-all-day recreation program kicks in this Saturday ~

~ every weekend is themed.  Halloween, Super Hero, Medieval, Pirate, Fiesta and more . . . we really have a blast here at Poland Spring Campground!

As for my writing – I’m moving ahead slowly with this new idea.  I have two fabulous sources for research and I love bouncing my ideas off them.  One of them has brought me informational books to pour over.  I’ve also written a couple of scenes, trying to get to know my main character a little better.  Every free minute I have will be devoted to adding to this manuscript.  I’m taking a tip from a fellow writer and scheduling it on my calendar.

If anyone out there has some ideas on how to find time within a busy schedule for writing, I’d love to hear them.

I haven’t been out on the lake in a few days, but I hope to soon.  For now I’m living vicariously through my campers.  I’m told the loons still have their little one in tow and the three eaglets are spreading their wings, but are still on the nest. All fabulous news!

 

 

 

 

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The Loon Family of 2012

Posted on June 12, 2012 by Tamra

After reading a blurb on Facebook Sunday,  in which I’d mentioned I hadn’t been able to find the loon family anywhere in spite of having been out on the lake for two hours on Friday and again Saturday . . . one of my seasonal campers  reassured me through e-mail, telling me they’d seen the loon family that very day.

“We watched them for 30 minutes,” she said.

I spent all day Monday at school wishing the day away, wanting to get out on the lake to see the little cutie for myself.

When I finally got home, I rushed through the campground duties, gathered the kayak key and lifejacket and camera.  Then I trudged to the point, only to find it was windy.

Very, very windy.

Trees bent in half windy.

But I was determined . . .

I climbed in my kayak and shoved off, quickly discovering that if I hugged the shoreline, you couldn’t feel the wind at all!

I traveled half the lake before I found them.

The Loon Family 2012!   I didn’t dare get too close, so the pictures are a little hazy.  Baby seems to be doing really  well.  Both adults were very attentive too.  At one point, a crow hollered from overhead and the two of them scooted over, putting the baby between them.

Can you see the minnow in the adult’s mouth?  You won’t believe how many of these the baby ate as I watched.  Several times, when they dove, the baby would put his head in the water too.  But he’s too young to dive yet . . . even if he tried, he’d just bounce back to the surface.

 

I could’ve watched them forever, but I didn’t want to make them nervous or anything.

So I headed back for home.

I don’t know about you, but I’m awfully glad to see the little one.

I think we should call him Junior.

P.S.  There’s a few more photos on our campground blog, including one showing how the baby blends in with the water’s surface . . .

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The Triplets are Growing by Leaps and Bounds!

Posted on June 10, 2012 by Tamra

The lake was pretty choppy today, but it didn’t stop me from kayaking out to find the loons.  I’m still a little worried about them, and I’d feel better if I saw them with a baby.

Alas, I never did find the loon family.   I saw one for half a second.  But it dove and I never saw it come back up.

I love how they do that.

I saw the triplets though.  And WOW!  They’ve grown so much!

One of them kept opening his wings wide while his siblings watched, not quite brave enough to let the wicked wind lift them into the air.

He hopped up and down, back and forth across the nest fearlessly.

I wanted to yell at him and tell him to hunker down like his siblings.  Was he crazy???  The wind could grab him . . . throw him off the nest . . . into the lake!  He might break a wing, or a leg.   Did he know how high up he was???

Apparently, he did.

Then I realized he was spreading his wings, so to speak, and it wouldn’t be too long before he started branching.  And after that, flying.  This was no longer a “baby” eagle.  He’s a middle schooler!

Sigh.

They grow up so fast, don’t they?

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Loon Update

Posted on June 4, 2012 by Tamra

Thanks to a dear friend’s recommendation, I’ve spent a lot of time the last couple of days watching the Minnesota Loon Cam. This nesting pair  is is on a loon raft, which intrigued me.

One of the eggs hatched in the early morning hours and I’ve had so much fun watching the little one toddle around while the adults try to keep sitting on the remaining egg.

All of a sudden, in spite of the light rain,  I felt the urge to grab my binoculars and head to my own  lakefront.  We’d recorded eight inches of rain over the last two days, and I knew that while that same dear friend had seen an adult loon on the nest Saturday morning,  no one had mentioned it since.

I trudged through the wet underbrush to the top of a steep banking at the lake’s edge and gasped.  The lake was so high!  I trained my binoculars on the island across from me.  No matter how hard I searched, I couldn’t find the nest.  The shore line was gone.

I heard a wail off to the right.  And an answering cry to the left.  The adults met in the middle and there, tucked under the protective wing on the back of one of them was a little, black fuzzy baby.

At first, I was sad not to see two.  I believe the rising waters of the lake kept the second egg from hatching.  But there’s one, and he’s gorgeous!

I don’t have pictures yet, but I hope to have some soon!  Here’s last year’s babies though . . .

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Busy, busy days!

Posted on May 31, 2012 by Tamra

Memorial Day Weekend in the campground was a blast!  All 132 sites were filled  and you can’t complain about the weather this year either!  Many of my campers had seen or heard about the loon and eagle photos, so they stopped in the chat about them and get an update.  Those who know me best asked about my writing. I even sold a couple copies of The Three Grumpies.

Then there’s school.  With only two weeks left, students have become . . . well . . . silly and they have . . . um . . . high energy . . . to say the least.   Trying to keep them on task to finish out the lesson plans takes  every ounce of creativity Ms. Shanning and I have.  Wiiiiith, perhaps, a certain amount of bribery thrown in for good measure too.

Honestly though, I secretly sympathize with them.  After last weekend’s gorgeous weather, I’d much rather be down at the lake studying the eagle triplets and taking photos like these . . .

but I suspect the two weeks will fly by and I’ll be lakeside before I know it.

I found time last Monday to plant most of my flowers, as well as some cuke, tomato, pepper, pumpkin and sunflower seedlings.  The campground entrance never looks just right, until I throw splashes of color along it’s edges. I have to say, all that digging, stretching and bending felt good too.

This weekend, a few members of my critique group are staying here at the campground to  write and share their work.  I can’t wait to join them!   I want to get back to Lillie’s story,  too.  Over the last few weeks I’ve jotted notes here and there whenever I’ve thought of them.  It’s time to put them all together and see where her story leads me.

 

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Nesting Loons

Posted on May 21, 2012 by Tamra

It’s official.

I’m now a wildlife geek.

Honestly, I’m already trying to figure out how and when I can get this rental lens sent back in a couple of weeks.  In all my years of loon watching, I’ve never, ever caught them switching off nesting duties.  I’d read about it.  I’d seen documentaries.

But witnessing it first-hand . . .

Whoa.

Having this size lens enables me to respect their space (at least 200 yards),  yet I have a front row seat.    I’m not ashamed to say I got a little misty eyed as I watched.

First, I heard the nesting loon call out . . . the one that sounds like “where are you?”.

And then I saw the mate making its way over. He’d dive, then silently appear.   All I would see was the top of his back, and his long neck stretched over of the surface of the water. After looking around the area, he’d dive once more. When he was withing a couple hundred yards, he called back to her.

The nesting loon then reared back to turn her eggs . . .

Can you see two of them?  Olive colored.

Once she’d turned them, and he’d called to her once more, she slipped into the water.

It was hot on the lake today.  Very, very hot!  It was so scorching, the eagles had their tongues hanging out up on top their nest.

At least the loons were smart enough to put their nest in the shade.  Still, once the nesting loon hit the water, she looked like a kid who’d jumped in a pool after a two hour time out.

She dove.  She stretched her wings.  She arched her back.

The only muscle I moved was my right hand, pointer finger as I snapped photo after photo, thanking God and anyone else I could think of for this glorious opportunity.

All the while, the other loon was quietly getting closer and closer to the nest.  Mind you, neither one was more than 100 feet from it at any time.

As I watched, I remembered reading how careful they must be getting on and off it.  A loon’s webbed feet are not made for land.  They hit the water hours after being born, only coming back to land when incubating eggs. Their feet are set further back on their body to make them stronger divers, so you can imagine how awkward walking on land might be.  If they have to get on or off the nest in a hurry, they might accidentally kick out an egg.  Eagles lift up to leave their nest.  Loons kind-of-sort-of fall off it.  This is why it’s so important not to startle them.

This loon very carefully climbed back on . . .

Rearranged a stick or two. . .

Then settled in for his turn at baby sitting duty.

Again, I feel so lucky to have seen this today.  I sure hope these two eggs hatch, and the babies survive all the dangers on the lake; among them are turtles from below and eagles from above.  Boaters and kayakers too, are a challenge.  These babies will be born when boating is at its peak.  Unlike the eagles who sit on high to stare regally down on us with a “nah-nah-can’t-get-me-look”, the loons have nowhere to go.  The babies can’t dive for weeks.  They could end up separated from their parents.  Please, if you see loons over the next couple of months, assume they have babies.  Give them lots of space and the right of way at all times.

I’m off to post  a similar camping blog post to my campers, and will have  a few different photos there if you’re interested.

And if you’d like to know more about loons, here’s a link for the Maine Loon Project.

Stay tuned for loon updates!

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Eagles As Seen Through a Larger Lens

Posted on May 20, 2012 by Tamra

I’m having waaaaaaay too much fun with this rental lens.

It’s so big, a pair of purple martens hovered over it several times while it stood on the tripod, aimed at the eagle’s nest. They were trying to make a home in the lens’ opening!

I’ve set up lakeside every day since it arrived in the mail.  Anytime after 2pm has been  best, as the sun is in the perfect position to shine on this incredible family.

 

As you can see, all the triplets are alive and well. No one’s been knocked out by a wing, or eaten by a sibling.  You may laugh, but I go down everyday, holding my breath!

Interesting enough, I watched her feeding for almost two hours on Friday afternoon . . .

. . . . and as one of my young campers put it, “it was definitely a furry mammal” the adult  was tearing apart.

She fed all three eaglets.  The biggest was first, as it was able to toddle itself over to the adult more quickly than the other two.  But she fed the youngest eaglet second!  I was encouraged by that, as I’d worried it wouldn’t have enough to eat.

They all seem to be doing quite fine!  They’re moving around the nest more easily, getting under foot all the time.

Today I didn’t see any feeding, and I thought it was kind of strange, as this had been their routine the last few days in a row.  While I waited for the second adult to come in, I told all the little campers (who wanted a look through the view finder) that the other adult was probably out hunting and I was hoping to catch him coming in with supper for the eaglets.

Buuuuut, there was nothing in his talons.

Does Mom look a little upset to you???

 

 

P.S.   You can see some different eagle photos on Tami’s Camping Blog

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